Who fighting games here? My roommate and I have been playing this game until our fingers bleed and we realize we're five minutes late for work the day after we were supposed to work. We try out characters, figure out our mains and beat one another to bits. It's a fantastic game but I think there are a few things that could have been done vastly differently.

One thing it failed to do was bury the Krypt and keep it there so it may never be found. For the uninitiated, the Krypt was a concept that had been introduced later in MK's life cycle much to the chagrin of everyone. I can't think of a single person that enjoyed the Krypt because the idea of having to unlock fatalities, costumes and artwork while spending hard earned koins (this is an MK game, prepare for liberal use of K) and having the prize they win be random. 1,000 Koins could net you a character bio or a finishing move. It felt random and stupid.

MK9 made this worse by introducing the Krypt as an open world environment for you to run around in and defile bodies and graves for your loot. Oh, there's also the Krypt monster which is a still that pops up and screams at you in the corner of your screen before buggering off and leaving koins behind. The first time this happened I lost a monitor. Not even joking, my instinct was to punch my second monitor because of a threat.

People that know me, know that I think of jump scares like I think of greasy foods. Cheap, unpleasant and sometimes all you've got. But seriously? This is a fighting game. A game made for the express purpose of getting friends together and making their character suffer intense blood loss until they don't move anymore. There is no room in here for jump scares unless you're intent on making some sort of survival horror fighting game, which now that I think about it, I'd actually want to see.

But it's more than jump scares, it's the fact this stuff is locked and cannot be viewed without going through this thing. As mentioned previously, things like artwork, bios, fatalities, alternate costumes, stage themes and fan art (yes, fan art) are locked beneath the tombs. It's a grab bag where you have no idea what you're purchasing. Koins don't come easily either. You could spend 5,000 of the things getting fan art you could have just as easily viewed on the internet. At the end of the day, it's archaic, annoying and unnecessary.

But, this is a fighting game at it's core. And despite the Easter Egg Terror Hunt, it's a really good one. The system of fighting is solid, controls are responsive, the Kombos are fun and interesting. They even give you frame data for your moves. Frame data. It will tell you start up, invincibility, block stun, that move's likes and dislikes and hopes for the future. It's an insane amount of detail. And it's all really good, so long as you stay offline.

Here's the other bit I felt I should harp on. Online fighting games can be amazing. Skullgirls, Killer Instinct, Third Strike on the Xbox 360 all have amazing netcodes that allow them to play almost seamlessly online. I play on Fightcade sometimes and can get someone in a different country and play them with little to no lag. It's astounding. But MKX is, well, butts awful. I've played a handful of matches online against other players because I'm a masochist and there is literally no scene here that doesn't involve going to some strangers house. Input lag in a fighting game is deadly, and the very idea I couldn't input the most basic of inputs without it taking twenty years to finally take effect make this a horrible experience. It's still early though, so perhaps it'll get patched. Here's hoping.

The Rundown:

Pros+Great cast, variety of old and new names alike.+Variations for each fighter make this amazing and give a depth to the character list.+Story mode is really fun and teaches you different play styles.+Very Hard difficulty is actually that as the computer learns you.+Living Towers offer a challenge that changes every hour, day, week. +Predator and Jason Vorhees.

Cons-The Krypt is a steaming pile of dismembered bandicoot wangs.-Online play is buggered leaving offline the only viable choice for anyone who wants to "git gud".-Story mode is relatively short.-Scorpion and Kano are the only two characters you're going to see played because of stupidly good move sets and easy combo potential.

Overall, this is a fun game. If a patch comes to fix the online, I'll be very happy with it, but until then it's just a great offline fighter to get friends together and rip each other apart. If you happen to find yourself short of money and just want to have some fun with a good fighting system and interesting characters, this is the game for you. Just stay away from online until it's patched. It's really not worth the frustration.

Oh, I'd also suggest not entering the Krypt until you have enough money to buy a relaxing villa in Monaco. It's a place you really only want to visit once in your life.

When I heard about Mortal Kombat X, I thought "That series is already to TEN!?" since I stopped following it a long time ago. My MK1-3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 were all major parts of my childhood, both at home and in arcades but the 90's ended, arcades died and I started playing RPGs, Action/Adventure titles....all sorts of stuff but I bought few fighters. Also I wasn't a big fan of the 3D direction for the series. I returned to the series and played Deception. That story mode where you play that one dude who eventually gets old and you get the backstory...well it wasn't great but it was worth a single playthrough. I didn't care for the fighting in that one. If I'm going to play a 3D fighter, I'll go with Soul Calibur.

I've "picked up" several fighting games lately and my skill is almost nonexistent. It's been ages since I've played them with any serious intent to improve. My childhood self would be very disappointed in me.